The heat is coming, y’all. Before long, we’ll have officially crossed over into the time of year when it’s just too steamy outside to turn the oven on. Summer is a time when meals should be as simple as they are delicious, always enjoyed with the brightest flavors of the season. Some of the easiest, most nutritious, and delightfully oven-free meals? Summer salads. Whether they’re topped with protein, fruit, veggies, nuts, or all of the above, easy summer salads can make the most of even the hottest days. Because let’s be honest, the last place you want to be this summer is trapped in a hot kitchen.
There are a few key elements that distinguish a summer salad from your average everyday salad. Summer salads are often lighter, sometimes filled with seasonal fruit, and are usually topped with a bright, citrusy vinaigrette that’s as cheery as the season. The best part is, your ingredients do the work for you. With all the delicious produce that’s in season this time of year, the end result will only taste like it took hours to make.
Featured image by Michelle Nash.
25 Easy Summer Salads to Make When It’s Too Hot for the Oven
Avocado Caprese Salad
This summer salad is practically begging to be served at your next al fresco occasion. As the perfect appetizer or side for your summer barbecues, it pairs beautifully with grilled meats, seafood, or sandwiches.
Sesame Salad
Simplicty is key with this crunchy and texture-filled bowl of greens. The key with this salad and its savory dressing is to toss everything in an extra-large bowl, ensuring every leaf is covered with dressing. It’s the perfect balance of complementary ingredients.
Broccoli Caesar Salad
Inspired by our food editor Suruchi’s trip to All Day Pizza in Austin, this broccoli Caesar—as she notes—will change your brain chemistry. While the broccoli in this recipe is roasted, you can just as easily toss your bushels in an air fryer or substitute greens while still enjoying the abundance of savory ingredients.
Simple Green Salad
Possibly the most simple (and stunning) summer salad is this bowl inspired by everyone’s NYC favorite, Via Carota. It doesn’t take much—only three ingredients, to be exact. Don’t miss out on Camille’s shallot vinaigrette to pair with this bowl of green goodness.
Watermelon Chopped Greek Salad
Chopped Greek salad can be enjoyed all throughout the year, but there’s just something about snacking on its crisp, refreshing deliciousness during the summer that makes it a warm-weather favorite.
Mexican Chopped Salad with Honey-Shallot Dressing
This Mexican chopped salad is the perfect balance of nutritious ingredients and light summery flavors. Chickpeas and pistachios bring a bit of warm nuttiness that stands out when paired with crunchy cucumbers and shredded carrots.
Watermelon Salad with Cucumber & Feta
When has watermelon ever been a bad thing? Especially in the summer? In my experience, never. Not when enjoyed by the slice, by the pool, or by the salad, as is the case with this watermelon/caprese collab. It’s delicious as a meal, appetizer, or side for grilled mains like chicken or salmon. And it’s the perfect use for any extra melon you probably have. Peel off the plastic wrap and get to cutting!
Garam Masala Corn Salad
Corn salad is a filling and delicious dish to enjoy as a side or on its own during the summer months. (And surprise, it’s in season!) This bowl is filled with crunchy and zesty ingredients, paired with a bit of heat.
Tomato, Avocado, & Cucumber Salad
Take about a breathtaking salad! This trio of tomato, avocado, and cucumber is the perfect balance of crunchy, savory, and sweet. Throw in your favorite spices along with fresh herbs to top. It’s just as pretty as it is delicious—perhaps more.
This fruit salad is yet another to add to your summer salad list. Chickpeas bring a great element of protein that pair well with these fresh fruits and bright greens.
Ricotta in any dish has my heart. When paired with fresh fruit, this creamy cheese becomes practically unstoppable. While it tends to lean slightly sweet, ricotta takes on the flavor of anything that joins it. These fruits, in particular, have the perfect sweetness that is balanced out by the ricotta’s creaminess.
Pink Radicchio Salad
A more stunning salad doesn’t exist—try and change my mind. Camilla Marcus taught us the perfect way to prepare and serve this delicious leafy vegetable, and we’ve been changed ever since. The pink radicchio pairs perfectly with a variety of toppings and makes for the ideal summer table salad that will wow any crowd.
Strawberry & Arugula Salad with Spring Herbs & Goat Cheese
This strawberry and arugula salad brings all the summer vibes. Creamy goat cheese is one of my all-time favorite salad toppings—and its addition to this salad is no exception! This flavor combination is one you definitely don’t want to miss out on.
Farro Salad with Spring Veggies
A farro salad will definitely grab everyone’s attention during summer. With a variety of fruit, nuts, and fresh herbs, farro is anything but boring and bland. The squeeze of lemon brightens up this bowl and brings a bit of tang that I’m always searching for during the hotter months.
Radish, Fennel, and Grapefruit Salad
This citrus salad is a beautiful mix of bright colors and zesty flavors. The tangy citruses are balanced out by sliced avocado and a drizzle of olive oil to create a simple bowl stacked with fresh summer goodness.
Thai Chicken Salad
One of the best parts about this easy summer salad is that you can use leftover rotisserie chicken. Talk about easy and delicious! It also boasts creamy avocado, floral and sweet mango, crunchy peanuts, and more to drive home all the Thai flavors.
Chickpea, Corn, and Avocado Salad With Roasted Poblano Vinaigrette
This big texture, big flavor chopped salad combines sweet grilled corn, char-grilled poblano peppers, and fresh-burst cherry tomatoes to create a salad you can enjoy at home or on the go. It’s also totally customizable and hardly requires a recipe at all. (We love.) Basically, this chopped salad is your oyster.
Summer Pasta Salad
Pasta salad is a classic summertime staple. We love that it’s light and refreshing, but still substantial enough to leave you satisfied. Add to it some grilled veggies, mozzarella, edamame, and kalamata olives, and the result is nothing short of perfection. It’s perfect for lunch, dinner parties, and barbecues alike, and will be a crowd favorite wherever you take it.
Southwestern Superfood Salad
Imagine all of the flavors you love in a taco combined in salad form. Then imagine sweet summer peaches entering the mix. I only have two words to describe it: absolutely divine. It’s balanced, flavorful, and so easy to throw together for any time of day. Lean into the ease—it’s what the summer is all about, after all.
Spicy Watermelon Feta Salad
Prepare your melons for this fresh summer salad. Watermelon and feta unite to create a whole that’s so much more than the sum of its parts. Plus, fresh sliced jalepeño brings a dose of heat to perfectly counterbalance that fruity sweetness.
Arugula, Fig, and Burrata Salad
Figs are a super high-fiber fruit that you should definitely be eating this summer. Is it just me, or do they seem to elevate every dish they’re a part of? Either way, this easy summer salad introduces them to creamy burrata, candied pecans, and a simple vinaigrette that lets all those yummy components shine.
Mango, Avocado, & Feta Salad
Another fruit superstar, mango is such a fun addition to summer salads. Its sweet, tropical profile really makes it shine. And with salty feta, nutty pistachios, and fresh herbs by its side, mango is this year’s unofficial fruit of summer. I’m calling it now.
Mexican Street Corn Salad
Make the most of corn season with this street corn salad that takes less than 10 minutes. (Seriously!) You get all the joys of eating decadent grilled street corn but without the side of dirty napkins and messy hands.
Grilled Peach and Asparagus Salad with Spicy Pepitas from Café Gratitude
Like its namesake, this loaded salad has a little bit of everything. It’s delightfully decked out with grilled peaches, charred asparagus, spicy pepitas, vegan mozzarella, and the goji chipotle dressing. Proof that more is more.
Chaat Masala Citrus Salad
Citrus salad is always tasty—and even more so during the summer. When the sun is out, it feels good to eat something that’s just as bright and vibrant. And not to mention how refreshing and hydrating an orange can be! Perfectly juicy, sweet, and a little sour, this salad celebrates everything there is to love about citrus fruits.
This post was last updated on June 3, 2025 to include new insights.
